Floating golf ball retriever

ABSTRACT

A floating golf ball retriever is provided having buoyancy on a water surface and providing nets which dip below the surface to sweep in floating golf balls. The construction is foldable for compact carrying and a casting line with reel permits casting the device into position for retrieving golf balls at a distance.

O United States Patent 11 1 1111 3,

Alexander 1 Dec. 16, 1975 FLOATING GOLF BALL RETRIEVER 3,046,687 7/1962 Erdman 43/1 3,141,696 7/1964 Nau 1 294/19 A [76] Inventor- Alexander BOX 15243 3,276,807 10/1966 Ward 294/66 R 1, Hawk 27949 3,717,371 2/1973 Halone 294/19 A 22 Filed: July 2 1973 3,756,644 9/1973 Rydberg 294/66 R PP ,041 Primary Examin'erEvon C. Blunk Assistant Examinei'Johnny D. Cherry [52] US. Cl. 294/19 A; 294/66 R 51 1m. 01. A63B 57/00 [571 ABSTRACT [58] Field of Search 294/1 R, 19 A, 66 R; A ng g l ri r is pr id h ving y- 56/328 R; 273/162 E; 43/1, 7, 12 ancy on a water surface and providing nets which dip below the surface to sweep in floating golf balls. The [56] References Cited construction is foldable for compact carrying and a UNITED STATES PATENTS casting line with reel permits casting the device into 2,270,632 1/1942 Hasty 294/19 A position for retrieving golf bans at a distance 2,586,003 2/1952 Caslor 43/1 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures CI h US. Patent Dec. 16, 1975 3,926,464

FLOATING GOLF BALL RETRIEVER Briefly, the invention comprises a floating keel member from the sides of which extend open frames to support nets that drag the surface of the water and are partially submerged to a suitable extent to catch floating golf balls. The frames are secured on the main member by a pivot bolt and wing nut so as to be swingable transverse to the keel member in operation or towards the keel for folding.

A detailed description of the invention now follows in conjunction with the appended drawing in which;

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the retriever;

FIG. 2 shows a front elevation, and

FIG. 3 shows a side elevation together with a reel for holding a casting line attached to the retriver.

Referring to the drawing, the retriever comprises a keel element a which may be of any buoyant material such as wood or plastic to which is pivotally attached a pair of frame members b extending transversely on opposite sides thereof with geometric symmetry. The frames or frame members may be bent aluminum material or any other suitable lightweight material and are generally rectangular, as shown, being secured to the keel by means of a screw and wing nut arrangement e which can tighten their otherwise free ends against the keel to hold them in the outspread operative position shown.

It will also be apparent that the wing nut can be loosened so that the frame members can be swung close to the keel for folding. It will be obvious that the frame members can be swung in opposite directions so as to be aligned with each other down to center line of the keel, or can be swung toward each other to form an angle with each other with the keel bisecting the angle.

The outer leg of each frame member carries a buoyancy means such as the respective buoyancy means and d which may be of cork, plastic foam, etc., suitably secured,for example,by being partially slit and impinged on the respective outer legs.

Each frame member has secured thereto a bag-like net h having its open end or periphery fastened as by threads h, or the like, to the respective frame member. Thus it will be apparent from the symmetry of the components that the retriever will float in water with the net partially submerged, with water line being indicated as W.L. in FIG. 2. It will also be obvious that, due to the geometric symmetry of the components, irrespective of how the retriever is tossed out or cast on to a body of water, twistingly or spinning in air, it will always settle in what can be termed a right side up position so that a portion of the nets is below the water surface to scoop thereinto any golf ball as the keel a is pulled toward shore by means of a tow line f wound on a reel g. The line f is fastened to the outer end of the keel and is preferably of nylon or other suitable light weight and strong material.

In general, the transverse unfolded dimension of the retriever is approximately 12 /2 inches, the keel being, in prototype, a wood float 9 inches by l /2 inches by three-fourths inches. The nets found satisfactory are one-fourth inch mesh nylon about 5 /.1 inches in depth and fashioned to suitably fit the frame members for attachment thereto.

It will be apparent that by virtue of providing a retriever which can be cast by attachment to a reel, large distances on a pond can be reached, e.g. 50 feet. It also will be apparent that the nets being of foldable material, they vw'll form no impediment when the device is folded for storage.

We claim:

1. A floating golf ball retriever comprising a keel of buoyant material having attached thereto and extending transversely on respective sides thereof a frame member provided with buoyancy means, each said frame member being disposed to be partially submerged below a water surface in a floating position of said keel and being provided with a bag-like mesh retrieving net having an opening peripherally attached at its edge to the periphery of the respective frame member to extend rearwardly to sweep inn floating golf balls when said keel is moved forwardly through water;

said frame members being pivotally attached to said keel so as to be foldable toward the keel when said retriever is not in use and pivotal outwardly from the keel to a plane generally normal to said keel when said retriever is in use;

said frame members having respective outer legs in generally vertical planes to which respective buoyancy means are attached substantially at midsections thereof to permit said nets to dip substantially half their height below a water surface;

and a tow means secured to said keel.

2. A retriever as set forth in claim 1, said keel being extended forwardly beyond the plane of said buoyancy means when said retriever is afloat to effect stabilization. 

1. A floating golf ball retriever comprising a keel of buoyant material having attached thereto and extending transversely on respective sides thereof a frame member provided with buoyancy means, each said frame member being disposed to be partially submerged below a water surface in a floating position of said keel and being provided with a bag-like mesh retrieving net having an opening peripherally attached at its edge to the periphery of the respective frame member to extend rearwardly to sweep inn floating golf balls when said keel is moved forwardly through water; said frame members being pivotally attached to said keel so as to be foldable toward the keel when said retriever is not in use and pivotal outwardly from the keel to a plane generally normal to said keel when said retriever is in use; said frame members having respective outer legs in generally vertical planes to which respective buoyancy means are attached substantially at midsections thereof to permit said nets to dip substantially half their height below a water surface; and a tow means secured to said keel.
 2. A retriever as set forth in claim 1, said keel being extended forwardly beyond the plane of said buoyancy means when said retriever is afloat to effect stabilization. 